Just Dancing
by FoxfireX17
Summary: Fianna provides a distraction for Etoh. This coupling is rarely seen, by me at least, so I wrote one myself. Poor Etoh is so underappreciated in the show... r/r


Just Dancing Just Dancing   
By: FoxfireX17   
  


Authoress' Notes: The very short story is one written a while back that I found in a folder unfinished. So I   
finished it last night, being the insomniac that I am, at about four in the morning. This has got to   
be my favorite couple in the Lodoss War Records. Etoh is so kawaii! Erm, anyway, please read   
and review, but be nice ^_^. I'm sensitive... 

Disclaimer: I never said that they were mine, so don't sue. Any summons will be promptly   
ignited and cast into my fireplace. Seriously, they belong to... whomever they belong to; you   
know who you are.   
  
  
  


The view to the road from the third story window was obscured by ice, causing the   
white-robed cleric who was currently occupying it no end of irritation. The snow fell heavy and   
hard, marring his vision further, as well as creating a hazard for anyone attempting to clean the   
window. The priest didn't know why he bothered straining to see. 

No. That wasn't true. He stood at that window, his guestroom window in the castle of   
King Fahn, every day, anticipating his friend's safe return. He never stood for too long, just an   
hour out of each day, waiting faithfully as the soft flakes of winter's advent turned to the icy,   
harsh flakes of later in the season. 

But his friend had not returned. It had been months - well into the fourth month now -   
and Parn hadn't come back from his mission in Flaim, the desert kingdom; a mission that wasn't   
calculated to take more than three months. If he stopped lying to himself and lost his faith, he   
would believe Parn was- 

The cleric refused to think of it. But... he felt so helpless! He had always been at his   
friend's side, protecting him and covering his back. And, he was sad to admit, Parn certainly   
lacked in skill. The knight needed him there to help. 

These same thoughts had tormented him for weeks, never allowing his faith to bring him   
peace of mind. And others had noticed. He saw it in their eyes as they passed; he heard it in   
their voices, some underlying current in a seemingly pleasant conversation. No one spoke of it,   
however. No one except Fianna... 

Etoh sighed and let his thoughts drift, still staring disconsolately through the frosted   
window. He didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching from behind. 

"Etoh?" 

The sweet voice penetrated his reverie. The cleric forced a cheerful expression and   
turned to greet her, though he knew very well the mask never fooled her. 

"Hello, Fianna. How are you?" 

"It's you I'm concerned about. I'm never well when you're like this." She flashed him a   
reprimanding look. 

Etoh smiled thinly. "You should be more concerned for your own health, Fianna. I'll be   
fine." 

"But I do worry about you!" she said, quickly closing the distance between them and   
taking his hand, much to the priest's surprise. "I feel there must be something I can do to help!"   
Her pea green eyes pleaded with him. "I wish I knew how to brighten your spirits." 

He clasped her hands with his other one. "I'm afraid very little would cheer me, my   
dear." 

"Nonsense! Now, what can I do..." Fianna's eyes flew open in excitement. "Ooh, I   
know!" 

Some little voice inside told Etoh that he should be frightened. He smiled nervously. It   
wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was just that she often talked him into doing things that made   
him feel awkward - unintentionally, of course. 

Fianna grinned broadly, obviously pleased with her idea and doing nothing to alleviate   
Etoh's fear. Then she cried, "Dancing Lessons!" 

"No! I mean, no, that's quite alright." He waved his hands in a negating gesture, backing   
up against the window sill. 

"Yes! Come on," she insisted, taking his hands again and pulling him away from the   
wall. "It'll take your mind off of Parn, and it gives you an excuse to put your arms around me." 

The priest flushed scarlet. "Your feet will never recover!" 

She flashed him that you're-exaggerating-as-an-excuse-and-I-won't-put-up-with-it look   
and sighed. Then she curved her mouth in a pout; it was the only face Etoh could never deny.   
He winced as if stricken. 

"You don't want to dance with me?" she asked, eyes large and twinkling for emphasis,   
tone sorrowful. 

He swallowed harshly, knowing there was no escape. "I want to dance with you, but I'm   
no good at it." It was close enough to the truth. He did want to dance with her, and he wasn't   
good at it by any standards. He just wasn't sure dancing with the beautiful princess was the best   
idea... 

"That's exactly why I'm teaching you, silly! Who will I dance with at the next ball if you   
don't learn?" 

"There are many men who would die for the chance, Fianna." 

"But none that I want to dance with." 

An awkward silence descended. Etoh, blushing at the implication, remembered the last   
ball held at the castle for Fianna's safe return. She had danced with many men that night, but   
never more than once. He, however, had been asked by the princess of Valis several times.   
Although inexperienced, he had never denied her, but he often wondered why she kept asking to   
have her feet stepped on. Fianna never complained and always seemed pleased. 

Instead of expressing these thoughts aloud, he merely nodded his approval. The happy   
radiance of her smile was worth any doubts he may have harbored. 

"We'll begin at arms' width," Fianna instructed, placing her right arm at his waist and   
twining her left hand with his. When his other hand remained limp at his side, she moved it to   
her waist for him. "Now, with no music to dance to, it'll be somewhat difficult to keep a steady   
rhythm, but I think you'll do fine. Just look straight ahead into my eyes and follow the rhythm I   
set, okay?" 

Forcing himself to relax, the cleric smiled and nodded. Fianna began to move slowly,   
setting the rhythm at half the momentum of a pendulum. Staring down at his feet, he moved   
easily with her footsteps. She removed her hand from his waist to tilt his head up, breaking his   
gaze from the floor, indicating she wanted him to keep his eyes on hers. 

This lazy pace was kept until Etoh showed signs of improvement, his movements   
becoming less awkward, eyes trained. Fianna created a segue into a slightly faster step,   
positioning herself closer to his body. 

Although the movement was conducted with fluent grace, Etoh was thrown off step   
momentarily. He quickly recovered himself, grinning sheepishly. The princess regarded him   
with the fond smile he'd seen so often when he was clumsy - the one that never failed to make   
his blood tingle. 

They waltzed to their own silent melody, heard only in the heart. The snow outside   
ceased its own white dance, ignored and unnoticed. Sound was confined to soft footfalls on a   
stone floor and slightly quickened breath as it passed over sensitive ears. Sensation was   
restricted to cool fabric under heated fingertips. All that existed was within their arms.   
Throughout it all, Etoh never missed a step, even when his twilight-haired partner drew him   
nearer still, flush against her body. 

Her scent - sakura blossoms and apricots - invaded his senses, made him lightheaded and   
weak. When he disentangled their hands, Fianna halted, and the priest's befuddled mind didn't   
register the lack of motion. His free hand moved between them to tilt Fianna's chin higher, then   
his lips sought her own in a chaste but nevertheless passionate kiss. 

Momentarily, Etoh broke away, if only slightly. "I... I'm sorry," he murmured against her   
lips. Gazing at the princess from underneath his lashes, he noted her eyes were still shut, mouth   
parted the tiniest bit. Swallowing thickly, he rose to full height once more. 

Pea green irises revealed themselves under heavy lids as Fianna looked upon the blushing   
Etoh. Her voice was nearly a breath as she spoke, "Don't be, love." 

"I, uh, I knew this would hap-." 

"Shhh." Further protest was soon muffled with another kiss. Fianna's arms locked   
behind his neck, allowing the priest no escape. 

The door swung open behind them. The advancing booted feet halted abruptly. 

"If I'm interrupting, I could come back later..." 

Both turned, flushing, toward the intruder. But their shock lasted only as long as it took   
for the two to see the face of the figure in the doorway. 

"Parn!" cried Etoh merrily. "We were, uh... just dancing." 


End file.
